21st Anniversary Celebration

An airline coming of age is a rare
celebration. It is thus sweet gratification to
have travelled the entire journey over the
past 21 years and shared the memories
with the Airlink family, which has grown
significantly over time.

Airlink in its current form, which followed from the defunct
Link Airways, whose roots originated in Magnum Airlines and
Lowveld Air Services, began on 11 June 1992, continuing
the business of 'Link' in a new corporate vehicle styled
'Airlink', later merging with Air Midlands in 1994, acquiring
Metavia in 1999 and pioneering the transfrontier public
private partnership and together with the Government of
Swaziland styled Swaziland Airlink in 1999.

Our highlights include joining forces with South African
Airways in April 1997 and together forging a powerful airline
network system alliance with the Airlink network of smaller
destinations being a component of the greater branded
airline network composite led by South African Airways.
Today, Airlink's fraternity encompasses over a million
enplaned customers per annum, of which more than
400,000 are connecting passengers, over 1,000 staffers,
more than 3,000 down-streamers, over 20,000 dependents
of breadwinners who rely on Airlink for their income, more
than 300,000 families who benefit indirectly from our
performance through the shareholding in Airlink of their
community development trust, and the communities and
micro-economies of over 30 smaller destinations served by
Airlink throughout the sub-region.

Airlink's business is driven by the passion and dedication
of Airlink's staffers, who share unanimously in and are
committed to Airlink’s vision and values, primarily focused
on our customers and on service delivery excellence.
It is measured carefully, mapped and engineered and
painstakingly managed in pursuit of setting new benchmarks
in standards. Airlink's punctuality performance is currently
consistently and sustainably better than 92%.
Airlink is premised on sound governance, entrenched
institutional memory with planned succession, a clear vision,
and a detailed strategy with defined absolute empirical and
measurable objects.

Airlink has built its business on financial frugality and
within its means. Airlink has a strong positive growing
balance sheet that is becoming increasingly attractive
to financiers comforted by our strict fiscal policies and
stringent covenants. Airlink's capital requirements are
funded privately and internally and always within the
constraints presented by our equity. Airlink is founded on
integrity, which it has earned and protected.

Airlink is a proudly upstanding South African corporate
citizen, with 32.5% of its shareholding held by broad based
black South Africans and our commitment to policies of sound
corporate Social Responsibility, Enterprise Development,
and Skills development that extend far beyond compliance
with BBBEE requirements.

Airlink's success is fully attributable to the commitment,
dedication and enthusiasm of the Airlink staff, the travel
trade, our suppliers, and our customers who have supported
Airlink through some tough challenges over the years. Airlink
has been truly fortunate in having stakeholders of the
highest caliber, from our support staff on the ground to our
flight crews in the air, including our shareholders.

On behalf of Airlink, I thank the travel industry, the many
millions of our valued customers and my colleagues, many
of whom have walked the entire walk together, for their
loyalty and support. These three vital "underpins" have
ensured Airlink’s continuous growth over the past 21 years
and culminated in the solid robust airline Airlink has attained
at our coming of age.

As passionate as I was about Airlink in June 1992, I am
even more so today.